Lofty Aspirations

This book was my guide in The Great Duvet Adventure. I purchased it a Joann's using a 50% off coupon. After bringing it home and thumbing through it, I decided that calling it a bible is pushing it. While it does contain some good information, the instructions accompanying the projects are somewhat vague. With that stated, the book is a helpful reference for a sewer with some experience under his or her belt.

Duvet Knock Off

West Elm's Duvet



My Version




The project was way more time consuming than I anticipated, mostly due to my OCD. In the end my obsessiveness payed off because it turned out well. I was really having my doubts near the completion when fatigue was setting in.

Dot Matrix Table



The jury's still out on this one.

Fun

I spotted this cute little number at Target online while I was searching for a bedside table. At $14.99, it has been reduced by 75%. Measuring nearly 26" in diameter, the table offers plenty of surface area for my intended purpose but lacks storage. The height is perfect too for my new low rider bed. Reluctantly, I decided to search on as the table wasn't available in stores and the shipping was rather expensive.

Having now used the tool box bedside table for several days, I have decided that it may not be the ideal solution. First of all, it measures only 12" deep which limits the available surface area for lamps, magazines, remote controls, etc.. More importantly, the drawers cannot be opened unless the top is open. This means that every time I want to retrieve and item from one of the drawers, I must clear everything off the top of the box to open it. Unaware that this is how top box tool chests operate, I now realize that this is not very practical.

My options were to return the tool chest for a deeper one (16") and learn to live with the drawer issues, or scrap the tool chest altogether and find something else.
In the meantime, I have been clicking daily on the link I saved to admire the sweet little dot matrix table. Ultimately, the shipping cost could not dissuade me. Totaled, the table will be way less expensive than the tool chest, and that's money saved for other projects.

Evolution or When Will it End?

Here are some bedroom update pics. I haven't had a single bite on my craigslist headboard sell-a-thon. I go from hating it to loving it. Love the color, I'm unsure about the style. It would look a lot better if it were hanging lower, but there's an electrical outlet in the way. I'm brainstorming. I know for sure I need a power source behind my bed because that's where those cords you see in the picture need to go. Some wall patching is in order as well.

Although my head board had no takers, I did manage to sell the bedside table (and it's match) and the shaker storage bench. Thank you craigslist.

I'm completely sold on the tool chest as bedside table concept, but I'm still undecided about this particular tool box. Maybe a 16" deep chest would be better suited. Here's the one I really want:

If anyone out there wants to give me $300, I'm pretty sure I can scrounge the for the remaining $28. Anyone...anyone...

The lamp is a Target find. On clearance. It's kind of small, but it has its merits.
The shade is glass. Nice and heavy glass at that. After searching for the switch over the course a several minutes, I realized that it was a touch lamp. On the downside, it only takes a 60 watt bulb at max and it's not fluorescent bulb friendly. Although, I admit to loving the fumble free lighting experience.

Later...

Beyond Cold

Picture courtesy of snowcrystals.com

Like much of the country, we are experiencing a long stretch of unusually cold
weather. A local meteorologist revealed that we haven't seen continuously freezing temperatures like this since WWII. My motivation is frozen as well. All I want to do is bundle up and read or watch tv. I am so ready for Spring.

More Bedroom

I am still trying to get my bedroom together. The palace painting from CB2 arrived earlier in the week. I'm not completely sure I'll be keeping it. While I like it, it might be too much. If I keep it, no doubt I'll have to remove the Capricorn picture.

I've ordered the bed pedestal from Overstock. I'm thinking it wouldn't be difficult to convert the pedestal into a platform bed. If I can pull it off, I can lose the bench at the end of my bed. The yellow headboard will be history. It's already on Craigslist. Ikea is having a fabulous one day sale on the Malm platform bed, today, but I'm not up to the 7 hour round trip. Given the chance that a long drive to Atlanta might net me nada, and I would want to paint the bed white if I could get it, I decided to go an easier route. I'm perfectly satisfied with my decision. I hope I'm still saying that when the bed arrives.

The mound of fabric is 13 yards of 60" wide cotton twill that will eventually become a duvet cover like this:

I've been visiting my local Walmart fabric department regularly, hoping to come across a suitable inexpensive gray fabric. It's a good weight and washable, and a bargain at $2.50 yd..

More later...